A fierce battle waged across the field.
Warriors clashed swords with the staves of powerful bishops before they were thrown from their mounts in defeat, and one after another peasants also fell to an onslaught of opponents.
It made little difference to Kaerzye whether or not they were annihilated. It was all for the good of the cause according to him. However, the sight of one of his knights being knocked from the saddle by his opponent's priest was enough to send the child into a fit of rage.
"You cheated!"
"What? Kaerzye! Me? Cheat? It's absolutely preposterous!"
The young man simply leaned back in his seat, stroking the small but tangled flaxen beard as he waited for the angered boy to make his next move. It was anticipated by the man that the child would act in the same rash manner he always did. His losses were always a result of a tantrum set aflame by his favored piece being knocked out of the field.
"I will not lose to you this time, old man!"
With the child's sputtered command, the second ghost-like knight's horse reared back with and charged. Maylnor's suspicions had been confirmed when the white knight engaged in battle with the black monk. Mace and long sword met with a bright spark set off by the clashing metal, and only a few moments passed before the defeated piece dropped 'dead' to the ground and faded from the field.
Now only a few pieces remained. Kaerzye thought it impossible for his tutor to defeat him now.
"Well done, little prince. Unfortunately, you've relied on your anger to determine your actions again. You must never fight with your head alone or you will lose it."
A hand lifted, signaling the enormous black dragon looming over the entirety of the board to make its move. With a tremendous roar the lizard lumbered across the field.
Kaerzye's heart sank when he saw its destination.
The white king stood quite alone on the field except for one peasant who was reluctantly standing in its path.
"Do you really have to make their knees shake?"
Kaerzye rolled his eyes and watched the peasant as it was gobbled up by the dragon that wore a grin far too similar to the one commanding its actions.
"Very funny! You think I'm scared? White Knight, intercept!"
Again, the warrior raced across the field straight for the great black lizard. The dragon simply stood there with the same toothy grin, and with a flick of its tail sent both knight and horse flying to the other end of the field.
This action, of course, sent Kaerzye into a screaming rage.
"Cheater!" he shrieked, "That is not how the game is played!"
The boy stopped short once he heard the earth-shaking steps of the dragon once more. This time the screaming was directed at the dragon as it made its way without obstruction toward the edge of the field. It halted only a short moment to glance at the outraged prince skeptically and then it proceeded to dine upon the last remaining piece belonging to the boy - The White King. As soon as the piece had disappeared down the gullet of the massive beast, so did the rest of the apparitions on the board and Maylnor proclaimed himself as the winner.
"If you had not wasted your peasants, surely they would have been able to protect the king. They may not be the most powerful pieces, Kaerzye, but they are certainly the most numerable. Sometimes unity is what wins battles."
"I don't suppose you having more dragons than actual chess pieces had anything to do with your victory! Besides, I still say you cheated! That's not how the game is played! There are rules against things like that!"
The youngster snapped from across the life-size chessboard.
"In a real war there are few times when the terms are equally fair, Kaerzye. Someday you may have to learn this for yourself. Besides, how many times have I told you that my only rule is that I have no rules? It makes for a more interesting game, lad. Plus, you called me old when I'm reasonably young enough to be your brother!"
He did have to chuckle at Kaerzye and his seriousness in the matter. The child had a certain spark in those bright, green eyes when he was furious, and his freckled face always gained a fierce, red tinge to it.
It almost pushed a fear into the young man's mind that he would eventually pop.
"You insult me all the time! I'm starting to keep track of how many different ways you think up to call me short in a day. The number is getting rather big. I'm still not sure whether to smack you for each one or congratulate you on having such a large vocabulary."
Kaer was still angry, but that frown could never remain there as long as it was his mentor he was supposedly angry with, especially when the man had somehow managed to sprout roses from each of his ears to make up for beating Kaer in the chess game. Maylnor had the child smiling again by the time they left the field to return to the hut stationed quite far from the actual manor where the child lived.
Maylnor preferred privacy when conducting experiments and at the very least it kept everyone else safe when they went awry.
"Well done, indeed. Fantastic performance, young Kaerzye. You'll have this scoundrel in the next match for sure."
There was only a glimmer of a sardonic tone to the new voice but not enough to be detected by the child. Maylnor on the other hand grew solemn. His good-natured laugh at faded completely to be replaced by incoherent mumblings under his breath. His grip on the cherry wood staff he leaned against tightened as the figure's mare galloped closer, but he forced a small smile for the prince's sake. It was, after all, he who constantly spoke of forgiveness toward others.
"You're losing that admired strength of the mind, Maylnor. Soon, you'll be losing a simple game of chess to a child."
Now the stranger's steed had galloped close enough for it to touch noses with Maylnor in a game of spite. A smirk touched the visage of the young man upon the horse as he and Maylnor stared each other down.
"My lessons aren't meant to stroke my own ego. They are to instruct the prince properly; something I'm sure you could do so much better in, Karnakh. Besides, Kaerzye is very intelligent for his age. If he is to defeat me, it will be because he's worthy of doing so legitimately."
That comment struck a foul chord with the rider and the smirk was replaced with a look of pure hate.
Maylnor had been chosen by Kaerzye's father instead of him to guide the child and Maylnor was sure to remind him of that each time Karnakh became obdurate toward him.
"Come, cousin. I think it's about time for a real spar, wouldn't you agree?"
The rider beckoned the child toward him.
"I'm coming. Maylnor, you'll watch, too, right?"
Kaerzye was lifted with ease onto the saddle in front of Karnakh, and he clung nervously to his cousin while keeping his eyes glued to Maylnor's dolorous expression.
The prince was scared of many things, but he was particularly frightened of horses and his cousin was never a being gifted with the art of consoling anyone.
"I'm sorry, kiddo, but I doubt another person could fit on that horse. I'll catch up with you two at the manor later this afternoon. Someone as old as me needs his exercise, remember?"
The truth was Maylnor wanted to be in no way, shape or form to be anywhere near that man.
Karnakh made him apprehensive and as much as he hated to see innocent Kaerzye have a moment alone with him, he trusted that the child's favor for him would outweigh any odious seed his cousin may try to plant within his thoughts.
As he stated before, Kaerzye was quite intelligent for his age.
Karnakh reeled the horse around and took off at full speed for the path leading to the grand estate of Estel.
The country's recent epidemic was obvious even within the confines of the manor. Many lay dead or dying along the road. Kaer recognized them to be lower class citizens who more than likely journeyed here to beg the king for refuge. His cousin apparently recognize the hush that washed over the child and addressed the situation.
"Pay them no mind. Peasants have little use in this world other than apparently spreading their infestation to us as well. I will send a crew out to collect the bodies if it will please you."
Kaerzye was about to respond, but a shout came from not far ahead.
Guards at the drawbridge of the castle had spotted the rider's distinct Palomino in the distance and were readying to lower the gates for the pair to enter. Tenants of the palace stables led the mare away as Kaerzye's cousin led him toward the tallest tower in the castle.
It was a black, ominous monster that Kaerzye dreaded visiting.
He also abhorred the knowledge that his loving father was trapped there; suffering from the terror that swept over the land. His bright, green eyes shifted to the more comfortable vision of the gold tower just adjacent to the ebony one.
There, fond memories of him and his healthy father came flooding back. Through these he could be strong enough to face the truth that he would find in the gold tower's twin. Though he was led to believe his father's illness was not as severe as most who were struck with the affliction, the child still worried. Many other people had died to this disease and his father was not immune to the same fate.
His cousin remained as dark and foreboding as the ancient structure but still swore he could spot the frozen smile upon Karnakh's lips as they passed through the looming shadow of the tower.
Kaerzye hoped in the back of his mind that it was just a trick of the shadows.
"You are frightened, cousin?"
It was the first time since addressing the corpses along the road that the man had spoken to him.
"Frightened of what? Sparring with you? That would be a first, wouldn't it?"
The boy dare not betray his true feelings on the matter.
The truth was that he felt like from everything crashing down around them until his legs ceased to function. His cousin berating him for a sloppy spar would not help his mood at all.
"There's nothing wrong with being afraid, cousin. Anger and fear are completely normal for humans."
Kaerzye narrowed his eyes at the man standing over him.
"Really? That explains why you never act worried about my father."
Their destination was a building caught between the two larger structures. Inside were masses of dull, misshapen armor and weapons that Kaer and his cousin often used to spar with one another. The child's father had always thought it was a decent way for them to bond while sharpening his son's abilities to defend himself.
Karnakh sneered as his much smaller opponent chose his weapon. It was a blunt saber, although he preferred the swiftness of daggers and slipped one into his belt loop in case his cousin knocked his main weapon out of his hands. Karnakh was never easy on him and always had the advantage between his height and the longer reach of his arms. Kaerzye also examined a worn helmet he pondered using but tossed it to the ground nearby when he decided against it.
"Well," the man bowed dramatically to the prince. "Since you've apparently chosen not to run away, shall we instead begin? I would much rather keep my wasted time to a minimum."
His own blade tapped against Kaerzye's cheek which flared the child's anger. A few of the armory's attendants who always kept their distance while the two of them sparred seemed concerned with Karnakh's rough behavior but never mentioned it for fear of being scolded.
"You're growing up. You know, soon you'll be old enough to take your father's place. I suppose that's a good thing seeing as how he might not have much time left."
His taunting was edging Kaerzye closer and closer to a boiling point and they had barely begun.
The prince swung wildly to bat the tip of the saber tapping his cheek away but Karnakh had anticipated it and dodged before the blades struck.
"Maylnor is right about one thing. You act more out of anger than anything else. You're a spoiled brat who throws a tantrum when something doesn't go quite the right way."
He cackled at the way the child rushed forward and nearly tripped over his own feet in doing so while he slashed at his cousin in vain.
"All this time we've practiced and you still can't hit me? I think you've spent far too much time locked away in that mad man's dirty hut playing his little board games. I believe by those rules the appropriate phrase here is 'check', am I right?"
By now they were turned fully around from their original positions. Once again, Kaer began to advance on his cousin without responding to any of his malicious taunts. Abruptly, the child ripped the dagger he had tucked away free from his belt and hurled it in his cousin's direction. Although the aim was completely off it still startled the man enough to rear back to dodge the blade on instinct. However, his foot caught something metallic on the floor in the process. It was the helmet Kaer had left there before they began fighting. Cursing himself for being reckless, Karnakh tried to catch himself before he fell but his smaller cousin had taken advantage of gravity in this situation. It was easy to knock the man to the ground regardless their size difference now.
"Actually, it's 'check mate.'"
Quite the puerile little grin struck the callow child's face with his final blow. The blunt edge of the stripling's saber connected with the target's knee, resulting in a rather sickening crack that resounded around the stone walls of the rooms. Even the least queasy of the pair's audience were forced to visibly quiver at the sight and sound.
"What was it you said earlier about someone losing simple games to children?"
"Perhaps," there was a short pause for the usual growl. "If the impertinent child would care to notice how easy it would be to retrieve the upper hand with that kind of overconfidence. A potentially deadly decision, my prince."
After eventually pulling himself to his feet through the pain in his knee, the tip of Karnakh's blade lightly grazed Kaerzye's unprotected chest once his armor was removed. The most satisfying sensation in the world would be derived from thrusting his sword into the child's heart but he obviously refrained with the audience there watching his every move.
Karnakh let go of his dangerous desires for now. For what seemed like an eternity the two stared coldly into each other's eyes. The flickering flames from the chamber torches only succeeded in exaggerating the hatred.
The boy was the first to turn away, for his father did not need any such grief now.
"Victorious for once. Congratulations, sire."
Karnakh's voice resembled a snake's hiss rather than a buxom display of repentance.
"Forgive my indiscretion, please, young Kaerzye."
A fluent bow followed this apology.
Before another insult could be thought of by either of them, a portly old woman called out for the prince's attention.
"Maylnor wishes to see you, my dear. I suppose that it must be urgent, you see."
She stuttered the entire time. Fearful coal eyes were locked on Karnakh until Kaerzye had made his move to exit the chamber. Saber and steel helmet were both handed the nearest servant to contend with and the prince disappeared down the flight of darkened stairs.
Karnakh grit his teeth to keep a torrent of thoughts from escaping his lips.
How much longer must he deal with that obnoxious brat? How much longer until he could strangle that impudent little urchin he was forced to call family?
The attendant waiting to receive Karnakh's sparring equipment was roughly flung to the smooth stone floor. This sight caused the rest of the valets to scatter like startled mice and they fled as quickly as their bare feet could carry them to relieve themselves of the angered man's notorious temper.
Among those in the castle he saw fit to deceive he was every bit of an abettor and loving companion as anyone could possibly expect from Alderon's nephew. However, on the inside, never was there a man so callous and willing to strike at the heart of those closest one to him if it was for his own gain. Karnakh loathed his uncle and the legacy he was passing onto Kaerzye and what was worse was that the child knew too much about his cousin to let him remain a threat. The sooner the king died and left the boy in his hands to manipulate as he wished the better.